Idris Elba Brings LUTHER Back for One Night Event

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After getting the chance to see BBC America‘s brand new 2 hour Luther event at a screening in New York City this week, I honestly think I can say I will die happy. Idris Elba was on hand to talk about returning to his iconic role as DCI John Luther after the screening, and while I clutched my phone, tweeting, snapping and Instagramming the evening away, he charmed an audience of press and SAG members with stories and insights into his work.

Luther is not a happy-go-lucky show, in case you’re not familiar. It’s dark, violent, and quite daunting unless you’re a connoisseur of psychological thrillers. Elba addressed this in his opening comments both before the screening when he welcomed the audience and again during the Q&A, saying that he wasn’t sure he could do a 24 episode season of the show because it would be too much to work through. When asked how exactly he was able to put the dark nature of some of his recent work behind him at the end of the day, he smiled and told us about the “love of his life,” his 20 month old son, Winston. (By the way, I dare you to listen to him talk about his adorable child without melting into a puddle of human goo.)

But the Q&A wasn’t only about Luther. At the forefront of everyone’s minds was the ever-swirling rumor and idea that Idris Elba could be our next James Bond. And luckily, the actor brought it up himself, making EW‘s Amy Wilkinson laugh that she had been told not to ask about it. Don’t worry, Internet. Elba is very aware that we want him as Bond.

“Luther is my Bond,” he told us with a wry smile. He went on to talk about the superhero nature of John Luther and how connected he feels to this character that he has had such a hand in bringing to life alongside creator Neil Cross. Did I mention that Elba is also releasing an album on iTunes of music inspired by Luther? Because yes, that is happening. It will be available on December 15 via iTunes.

There is a lot about this special 2-hour Luther season 4 event that I can’t tell you, because spoilers, but I will say that you should be prepared for some wonderfully deep character work on the part of Elba and his costars Darren Boyd, Game of Thrones‘ Rose Leslie, and Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Laura Haddock. There is also some truly creepy and effective character work from the episode’s killer, but I can’t tell you who that is or it would just ruin all the fun, wouldn’t it? Regardless of whether you tune in to see the show because you just adore being scared out of your mind, you loved Luther before, or you couldn’t scrounge up the change to see a 7pm showing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, you will not regret the two hours you spend working through London’s underbelly with DCI John Luther. There’s blood and guts and pain, and there are also moments that will have you snickering.

Luther returns to BBC America for one night on Thursday, December 17 at 9pm ET/PT. You’re going to want to tune in to see John Luther back in action.